


Sinus Rhythm

by KimeeChi



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Angst, Drabble, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-16
Updated: 2016-07-16
Packaged: 2018-07-24 08:40:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7501563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KimeeChi/pseuds/KimeeChi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I have no idea what I'm doing.<br/>Angsty stuff. Gotta love medical issues.<br/>Anyway-</p><p>Also-<br/>AU where they've known eachother for more than a week before all that TV world stuff</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sinus Rhythm

**Yosuke Hanamura**

He hears a noise somewhere nearby. It sounds like someone is doing a really poor job at pretending to cry.  
“”It’s..” A mock sniffle, “So sad.. I feel _so_ sorry for myself.. Boo-hoo.” Yosuke recognizes the voice, it sounds like his own, but his lips never moved to make these words. 

The owner of the voice reveals itself. He’s alarmed to see someone.. Or some _thing_ there that looks exactly like him. Down to a tee, except the lack of glasses, golden eyes, and almost sinister, sunken-in expression.  
“Actually,” It says, it’s mock sadness turning into sickening glee. “ _I’m_ the one who thinks everything’s a pain in the ass!” The other Yosuke laughs, it’s not a pleasant sound. 

Yosuke stands with one foot back, as if subconsciously, he wants to run away. It looks at him with eyes that suggest accusation, as if he had done something wrong. He opens his mouth to speak, but Teddie speaks first. 

“Huh-?! _Two_ Yosukes??” He says, legitimate surprise in his oddly high-pitched voice. Somehow, the surprise unsettles him more. Teddie lived here. This wasn’t normal?? 

Yosuke finds his voice.  
“Who are you?” He demands, “ _I_ wouldn’t think like that!” His voice falters, betraying him. He doesn’t address it.

It laughs again. The sound makes him want to be sick with rage. It’s _mocking_ tone. He hates it.  
“Yeah right. How long are you going to keep deluding yourself?” It says, in an almost sing-song sort of voice. “Screw the shopping district, and Junes too! You’re _sick_ of everything.”  
There’s an emphasis on the word, it places a hand over its chest. Yosuke feels his stomach turn. It smiles. 

“You’re a liar! That’s not true!” Yosuke shouts back, his hands balled into trembling fists. 

“Wanna talk about _lies_ , Yosuke-chan~?” It says, taunting him now. “Every day, you’re living a wordless lie!” Yosuke grits his teeth. He feels a very faint fluttering in his chest. “Oh, _poor_ Yosuke-chan~” It sings, dramatically touching it’s forehead with the back of it’s hand and leaning back. “Hiding behind a false sense of confidence! _Terrified_ of being left alone, _terrified_ of being treated like a porcelain doll~” 

“Shut up!” Yosuke attempts to shout over it’s voice. It seems so impossibly loud. 

“ _Lying to his friends_. Because who, oh _who_ would _love_ a broken doll?” It says this was an open hand on it’s chest, a sickeningly pitiful smile on it’s face. It steals a glance at Souji, who seems to be standing paralyzed with confusion and shock. 

“Shut up! Shut up, shut up! You’re _wrong!_ S-Stop it!” Yosuke becomes acutely aware of his breathing, and how it’s unconsciously shifted pace. The fluttering in his chest.. 

“Oh, no~! What’s the matter, Yosuke-chan? Is something _wrong~?_ Why so _panicked?”_ It watches him with putrid glee. “Your precious lie, it’s crumbling! Could it be? I’m saying the _truth?_ You didn’t even come here for your _dead_ senpai. You came here to prove yourself! To _prove_ your strength! What a perfect excuse!” 

It’s becoming hard for Yosuke to shout, but he attempts it anyway.  
“No, that’s not true! Who are you? _What_ are you?!” He says, doing his damnedest to ignore his body’s warning. 

“Why, I’m you, Yousuke-chan~” It sings, full of delight. “ _Your_ Shadow! There’s nothing I don’t know about you!” 

“Screw that! I don’t know you!” Yosuke shouts, leaning into the argument. “You can’t be me, you son of a bitch!” 

“That’s right, say it again!” The shadow taunts. It’s looking at him expectantly. 

Without immediately realizing it, Yosuke gives the shadow exactly what it had been looking for.  
“You’re not _me!”_ He says, “You’re nothing like me!” 

The shadow laughs, it sounds like something straight out of a bemused villain from television.  
“That’s right, Yosuke-chan. I’m _me_ now.” 

Yosuke watches, horrified, as the shadow begins to change. It becomes grotesque, a large monster with a twisted grin and empty black holes where the eyes should be. It still has his face. Hundreds of those uncomfortable hospital wristbands up and down its skinny arms. It’s wearing a hospital gown, what appears to be the screen of a television in the center of it’s chest. Upon closer inspection, it appears more to be a monitor. On it’s screen, it shows something Yosuke has seen more than once.  
He covers his ears with his hands to block out the horrible alarm bells coming from the heart monitor on it’s chest, as it displays an erratic rhythm. He tightly forces his eyes closed.

“No.. _No!”_ He yells, his voice shrill and panicked. 

“I’m not you anymore, see?” It speaks again. Despite Yosuke covering his ears, he can still hear it. As if it’s voice is _inside him._ “I am a Shadow! The true self!” 

“No no no!” Yosuke cries, backpedaling to try and get away from it. Too fast. He falls, hitting the ground hard. 

“Yosuke!” A different voice, a deeper one, arises from his right. His hands successfully block this one out, however.

He doesn’t notice as the shadow lifts a slow hand to slash at him, and he doesn’t notice as Souji calls Izanagi for the first time, and the persona deflects the blow. 

What he does finally notice, is when Souji steps in front of him to bat away one of the smaller shadows drawn by the power of the large one with the golf club Yosuke had given him.  
He notices when Souji grabs his arm, pulling him to his feet and then out of the way of immediate danger. 

He watches helplessly as his partner rushes back towards the shadow, commanding Izanagi like he knew exactly what he was doing. While Yosuke was unable to get up for more than a few seconds at a time. Wanting to help Souji, but his lungs were demanding oxygen he couldn’t supply. The sensation of being unable to catch his breath was terrifying him more than the shadows in front of him.  
Not here. Not now. Why _now?!_ He thought it was _fine!_

He shuts his eyes again and clenches his jaw, almost as if he were completely able to will it away.  
_Please, please not here. Not like this. Stop, please-_

He isn’t sure how much time passes like this. Only when Souji approaches him again.  
He feels exhausted, and finds it completely necessary to lean on the taller to even stay upright. 

“Yosuke is pretty worn out..” He can hear Teddie speaking. Somehow, his voice sounds really far away. “This world isn’t made for humans. It’s not comfortable for you here.” 

The fluttering in his chest has turned to a shooting, alarming pain. He grips at it with a clawed hand, as if he were able to tear out the very source of this pain.  
“Partner-” He forces words out, desperation in them. His voice sounds strained. He doesn't notice. “I need.. Hospital-” 

He feels Souji tense against him, and he can hear him talking. However, he cannot comprehend the words. He finds it so hard to stay awake..

\------------------------------------------------------------

 **Souji Seta**  
Hearing the words that came from Yosuke’s mouth as he leaned on his his arm terrified him. He felt everything within him seize up, his breath catching in his throat.  
His first thought had been that it got him. That somehow, he’d been unable to keep his friend from getting hurt. However, a quick look at him seemed to tell a different story. Something was very, horribly wrong.  
“Teddie-!” Souji says, turning to catch Yosuke before he falls completely onto the ground. “Teddie we need out! _Now!”_ His voice has turned desperately commanding.

“Eeeh! Alright, alright!” Teddie says, bouncing feverently from foot to foot. 

With the help of adrenaline, Souji hefts Yosuke’s all but limp form into his arms. He follows Teddie as quickly as he can as they flee the dungeon. 

Behind him, he can hear Shadow Yosuke, only having been temporarily defeated, begin to laugh maniacally. It’s singing after them.  
“He’s going to _die!_ Goodbyyyyye, Yosuke-chaaaaaan~” 

Thankfully, it seems to have no interest in persuit, for they make it back to the clearing in record time.  
Teddie opens the escape, and, gripping tightly to Yosuke, Souji steps through. The worlds spins for a moment. Then, they’re back at Junes’ electronics department. 

“Guys?!” Chie exclaims. Souji has never been more glad to hear a familiar voice in his life. “What the hell happened?!” 

“Call 119! Hurry, _please!”_ Souji says. Chie fumbles for her phone.

Yosuke is laying propped against a wall, where Souji had to put him down. The hospital was too far to run. In his alarm, he’d left the golf club behind.

“Partner.. I.. I’m sor-” Yosuke starts, Souji hushes him. 

“No, no. Just breathe, okay? It’s going to be okay. Just keep breathing.” 

He can hear Chie demanding an ambulance to their location. Minutes feel like hours. He’s terrified. He’s doing his best to keep Yosuke conscious, but it doesn’t feel like it’s working. He’s gasping for breath. He sees his eyes begin to flutter.. 

“Yosuke? Yosuke, you’ve got to stay awake-” He says. Yosuke doesn’t answer. “Yosuke? Partner, come on- You’re okay. Breathe, please keep breathing. You’re okay. Open your eyes. Come back-” Nothing. Nothing, he’s not moving. Souji feels himself beginning to panic. “Partner, please wake up. Please, _please._ Don’t do this.”  
He has to blink rapidly to keep his vision clear. 

It feels like an eternity before the EMS come rushing over, pushing a stretcher. An eternity that’s reduced him to pathetic begging. Of all people, why him? Why _Yosuke?!_ Why couldn’t it have been him? Anyone but Yosuke, anyone but him- 

He doesn’t hear as Chie makes another phone call. He only sees as the EMS rush the boy he cares the most for away. He only sees the blur of people passing as he rushes after them.  
He only sees the blur of traffic and angry pedestrians as he sprints to the hospital after the ambulance.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first time I've ever written for this fandom.  
> I hope it turned out okay. 
> 
> I might add more later on. We'll see. 
> 
> This was written as a gift for my brother.  
> <3
> 
> Also, I had to google how to call 911 in other countries.  
> All in all, an educational experience.


End file.
